The present invention pertains to an apparatus employed to facilitate building construction, and, in particular, to an apparatus for locating the installed position of a receptacle such as an electrical outlet box.
During the constructing or remodeling of a room within a business or residential dwelling, walls are typically formed by initially erecting a framework including wood or metal studs. Electrical wiring is then routed through the framework and terminated at electrical receptacles for light switches, outlets and junction boxes separately mounted to the framework studs. Phone lines, speaker wire and coaxial cable for cable television wired through the framework may also terminate at receptacles to facilitate installation. Eventually, the wired framework is normally covered by sheet materials such as drywall sheets, paneling, or laths that serve as a plaster base.
One difficulty with using sheet materials, for example drywall, to cover the framework is that openings need to be provided within the drywall to allow access to the already installed receptacles. To provide these openings, frequently a drywall installer will meticulously measure the precise location of the installed receptacle prior to drywall mounting, cut a hole in the yet to be hung drywall, and then fasten the sheet material to the framework while being careful to align the cut hole and the receptacle. In addition to being time consuming, this method provides ample opportunity for errors to be made in the measuring and drywall mounting which could cause the opening in the drywall to not properly line up with the receptacle.
Other methods of providing properly placed openings in the drywall for the receptacles suffer from other shortcomings. In one method, after the drywall is hung, the installer uses a cutting tool to first penetrate the drywall in the believed location of the receptacle. The cutting tool is then maneuvered along the face of the drywall by the installer until the tool hits the receptacle. Problems with this method include that the cutting tool may damage receptacles which are made from plastic as well as the wiring at the receptacle. Another method uses a device, attachable to the receptacle prior to drywall hanging, that provides indentations into the drywall when the drywall is held against the framework at the location where it is to be installed. The drywall is then lowered and an awl is used to pierce the drywall at the indentations. A provided template is used with the holes pierced in the drywall to mark the area to be cut for receptacle access. After cutting of the marked hole, the drywall can be hung. This method is inconvenient and time consuming as the drywall must be moved into an installed position on multiple occasions.
Thus, it would be desireable to provide an apparatus which may be used to locate the installed position of receptacles covered during the construction process.